How To Start Saving Money For A Rainy Day

We're all faced with difficult times, especially when there is a need for cash in a moments notice. Follow these steps to get you started off on the right foot to having a bit of cash put away for that ever so common rainy day.

Set a realistic goal. Decide how much money you would like to have saved and, based on this, divide it by the amount of paychecks you receive in a year. Normally, 10 percent is a respectable goal but regularly saving 20 percent will give you the results you need even faster. If you can only save $10 or $20 dollars a month, that would be better than nothing. The point here is to start saving and to stick to that goal.

Create a simple plan. When creating a plan, make it simple and easy to follow. The best thing to do is that you can start be paying yourself first. What I mean by that is to put away money immediately after every paycheck. You can also do such things as setting up an automatic transfer from your checking to savings or to a seperate account. Alternately, if you cash your check at the bank, you can remove the money at that time as well. Be sure that you place your money somewhere safe. I recommend buying a small fire safe or a combination safe from your local retail store.

Follow through with conviction. There is nothing like someone with the conviction to follow through on their plan. Now that you are saving a little away every month, be certain to account for that loss by adjusting your purchasing. The 10 or 20 percent could be realized by cutting back on your coffee and by taking time to make yourself and your partner a bagged lunch more often instead of eating out. Otherwise, if you have started out small, you can increase your savings amount as each paycheck passes up to the percentage that you originally identified.

Ok, so your saving money, now what? Just keep saving your money. Hopefully, you'll have a little time in between those rainy days so that you can have a decent amount of savings. Avoid dipping into the rainy day fund for random unnecessaties; your resilience will be challenged, I encourage you to stay firm. Hey, you may find that you've built up quite a bit of money and you'll suddenly start to enjoy the feeling of having a little money in the bank. Who knows, you could even use part of what you've built up for that gift you've always promised yourself for so long - just don't break the bank. Happy savings!